Unplug and hit the (gas?) pedal

Car aficionados with an eco conscience are salivating over the impending arrival of the first full-function, all-electric cars on the market with the release of the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt later this year. While an electric vehicle may not be in your immediate future, plenty of hybrids are on the market to consider when making your next purchase. Check out a buyer's guide to environment-friendly passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs at greenercars.org, which provides the facts necessary to examine the “Green Score” – a measure that incorporates unhealthy tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and emissions of gases that cause global warming - of any 2010 model.

Think trees and forests!

The Game Commission's Howard Nursery is again selling evergreen trees and deciduous shrubs with wildlife habitat potential. To find out what species are available and download order forms, go to the PGC website and click on General Store in the yellow tabs across the top of the page below the header, followed by clicking on Howard Nursery in the drop down menu. Consult the iConservePA native plant database to verify that the species you selected are native to Pennsylvania. Seedlings are sold in units of 25 seedlings of one species. After you plant your trees, make them count on the TreeVitalize web site.

Something to tweet about

Thanks to the efforts of staff and volunteers, Pennsylvania state parks have fledged over 50,000 eastern bluebirds and more than 31,000 other cavity-nesters since 1981. Join the ranks of such avian heroes by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, February 12-15, when tens of thousands of volunteers will become “citizen scientists” counting birds in their own backyards, local parks or wildlife refuges. Anyone can take part, from novice bird watchers to experts. Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event and report their sightings online. The count helps to determine how our feathered friends are responding to environmental change.

Did you know?

The situation is dire for cave-dwelling bats in Pennsylvania and other states where a mysterious ailment called White Nose Syndrome is causing 90% mortality in bat colonies showing evidence of the syndrome. If you observe any dead or dying bats or bats flying during the day, please take a moment to complete a reporting form for the PA Game Commission. For more information on White Nose Syndrome, go here. The ailment does not affect humans, but please don’t handle sick or injured bats.  

Congratulations to John Belzner from Allentown, the winner of the monthly drawing from the SEEDS subscription list. Mr. Belzner receives a copy of the book It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth Friendly Living.

Archives

Sign up if you received this e-mail from a friend and would like to add yourself to the Seeds mailing list.

iConservePA is a program of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Edward G. Rendell, Governor.